


Against the Cult of Malum

by Greycast



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23049232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greycast/pseuds/Greycast
Summary: Two siblings on the run encounter something dark in the Ways.





	Against the Cult of Malum

The pitted path of grey-white stone was becoming unnervingly familiar to Marianna. She and her brother had been quietly making their way down these vacant roads for more than a day now, and just imagining the Wind’s distant whisperings had her acting jumpy. At least, she hoped those mutterings were imagined. They had to be- the two of them would be dead already if they had truly disturbed the Wind, if the legends held any merit. Not that death frightened her- that was one of the domains of her god, the god who was slandered so quickly and so wrongly by the masses. Mostly at the guidance of the church. Malum, she was glad to be gone from there. 

All the posturing between sects was bad enough, but when the boorish highborn came to her for every ill- flouting their stuffed purses and demanding healing- that truly vexed her. She’d wasted so much time fixing their every scratch and bruise. Injury, like death, was inevitable. They’d have to learn that, eventually. There were some upsides to their being unmasked; no more healing sessions, no more pointless debates, no more pretending to follow a god she had no love for. They had been exposed as followers of Malum, so they could never go back. She’d have to focus on those upsides, now, and in the coming years of hiding and running. 

“Does this one mean ‘falls’ or ‘flies’?” Tobias whispered back to her. Marianna moved closer to this junction’s pylon and peered at the faded elven script.

“...‘flies’, I think?” She traced the symbol with a finger. “Or maybe ‘rappel’?”

Tobias let out an annoyed breath through his nose. “This is too old to make heads or tails of- even an elf might not be able to.”

“The sooner we decipher this, the sooner we can find our way out.” Marianna replied. 

“Or we pick a path and follow it ‘til it ends.” Tobias said. “Either we find an exit or a dead end, and if it’s a dead end, we turn back and try again.”

“We don’t have time.” 

“We’ve made it this far.” He stepped away from the pylon and picked up his pack.

“That’s no guarantee the Wind won’t notice us at any time.”

“Then shouldn’t we get out as fast as possible, even if it’s not through the Ulik gate?”

Marianna opened her mouth to respond, but something made her pause. She turned away from the script and peered off into the endless dark. A sound, ever so faint, in this soundless place. A whispering that pressed at the edges of her mind and planted seeds of fear.

“It’s found us- run!”

Together, the siblings bolted away from the junction and down the closest path. Even as they ran, the whispering grew in their ears, from a murmur to a moan to a wail. Then it was upon them. 

It clawed at their minds, screamed something that was so inhuman- so incomprehensibly vile; they collapsed, wracked with agony. Both could feel it trying to drain something from them, like a beggar’s hand digging into a full purse.

Even as they suffered beneath its cries, Marianna reached out to Malum, as she had done so many times before, but never for anything as vital as this. The conduit opened, and she screamed even as she shaped the power to her purpose. Tobias cried out beside her, and she clenched her jaw between gasped words of power. Just as her concentration began to crumble, she finished the spell, and with a snapping of magical forces, she cast away the terrible Wind. 

It wailed, seemingly enraged as her spell pushed it back; but it was not vanquished. Marianna, still gasping, tried to rise and failed. She was weakened, Tobias saw. He had already climbed back to his feet, and seeing his sister’s distress, he dashed over to her and lifted her into his arms. The Wind swirled behind them, gathering itself into a dark vortex of impending malice. Again, he ran from it.

“I can’t- I won’t be able to do that again…” Marianna said. “Don’t let me be your death, brother.”

“To the Hells with that- we’re getting out of here!” Tobias panted as he ran, never glancing back at the advancing foe- that force that wished to grind their very minds to powder. They could both hear it still, growing louder in their ears as it came closer. 

Just as they knew it would overtake them, they saw a set of double doors that stood in the midst of the path ahead. Neither paused; Marianna reached out and pushed in the doors, and Tobias ran through with his sister still clutched in his arms. The doors slammed closed behind them, and outside, the Wind howled into endless dark.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work-in-progress at the moment; I mean to add more to it soon. It's a prologue for a retelling the story- or at least some of the story- of a recent D&D campaign I've run. I appreciate feedback if folks care to give it.


End file.
